Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern sociology students contribute to new report of service providers' response to Katrina

Contact: Christina Chapple

12/5/06

     HAMMOND – Graduate students from Southeastern Louisiana University’s Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice joined fellow students from two other universities to interview service providers about their experiences in responding to Hurricane Katrina.

     The results of their research have been compiled in a new report, “Voices From the Frontlines: Service Providers Share Their Experiences from Working in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina,” published by the Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness. 

     Five Southeastern students from the university’s Applied Sociology graduate program were recruited and guided by Anna Kleiner, assistant professor of sociology. The students, who each conducted 10 interviews, were Lakisha Hills of Ponchatoula, Ayanna Jackson of Hammond, Earnestine Lee of LaPlace, Wilicia Blount of Baton Rouge and Denise Donlan of Robert.

     Kleiner and the Southeastern students partnered with their counterparts from the Delta State University Institute for Community-Based Research and the University of Michigan School of Public Health to conduct the research.

     From February to April 2006, researchers interviewed 157 service providers from profit, non-profit, faith-based and government organizations in southeast Louisiana, the Mississippi delta, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The service providers were interviewed about their successes, challenges, and recommendations.

     “This project,” Kleiner said, “provided an ideal opportunity for Southeastern students to apply their sociological research skills with the goal of addressing the needs of the community in the aftermath of disaster and in forming the development of public policy in preparation for future crisis events.”  

     The report concludes that while limited coordination between Hurricane Katrina service providers made it difficult to meet many survivors’ needs, several organizations found creative ways to coordinate services and maintain the dignity of their clients. It also highlights service providers’ recommendations to policymakers and organizations about how to better respond to future disasters. 

     Southeastern graduate student Lakisha Hills interviewed agencies related to children’s services, such as Hammond’s Child Advocacy Services, where she is program director. She said she found that while most agencies did not have disaster plans in place, their staffs were determined to make sure that services were delivered after the storm.

     She said that agencies were pleased “with the outpouring of community support, with how the community rallied together” in the storm’s aftermath. “Nobody wanted to close their doors, employees donated their time,” Hills said. “That was the most uplifting thing for me – how the community bonded together.”

     Key findings of the report included:

     -- Meeting survivors’ wide-ranging needs in a coordinated, responsive way was the most fundamental challenge service providers faced. 

     -- Several organizations used parks, schools, and areas along city streets to coordinate services in a central location. The central location provided a “one-stop-shop” for survivors to access food, shelter, clothing, and health-related services. 

     -- In addition to coordinating services effectively, successful providers paid attention to the way they delivered services, adopting a “humanistic service” model in contrast to the “maintaining social order” model used by many of the larger-scale service organizations.

     Service providers offered three major recommendations for policymakers and organizations responding to the next disaster:

     -- Coordinate and plan well in advance of the next disaster. Regular planning meetings should involve diverse types of service providers – local government officials, larger relief organizations, and local nonprofits and faith-based organizations. 

     -- Use case management techniques to avoid duplicating services. By creating a clear method of case management before a disaster hits, organizations can better and more consistently assess needs, track progress in meeting those needs, and identify unmet needs.

     -- Balance efficiency and empathy in service delivery. Whether a nonprofit organization, faith-based group or government agency, those involved in disaster relief and recovery should place an emphasis not only on economic efficiency, but also on maintaining the dignity of the clients they serve.

     “Voices From the Frontlines: Service Providers Share their Experiences from Working in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina” is part of a larger project designed to capture the needs, interests and recommendations of people impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The overall project incorporates multiple research methods, including participant and non-participant observation of relief and recovery efforts; an in-take/needs assessment survey with community residents and others seeking assistance in East Biloxi, Mississippi; and field interviews with residents and service providers in impacted communities.

     Copies of the report are available by contacting the Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness at (734) 936-5333 or prepared@umich.edu.